We are taught at a very young age the fire safety technique of stop, drop, and roll. This process is the best method to attempt to put out fire on clothing.
The process is simple and clear.
You STOP.
You DROP to the ground.
You ROLL on the ground to put the fire out.
At work, the phrases “I’m putting out fires” or “I’m dealing with a bunch of fire drills” are used.
Typically, what is happening in these situations is that a lot of important and/or urgent things have come up and you/the team are running around trying to settle everything down.
This got me thinking.
My Perspective
Is running around trying to settle things down the best approach?
Should we try to apply the stop, drop, and roll approach here?
STOP – Literally stop. Take a breath.
DROP – Spend 5 minutes putting it all on paper. What needs to be done? What are the problems?
ROLL – Intentionally choose the most important item on the list and roll with it. Then, go to the next.
The technique might make us all appear a little less crazy during crazy times.
Your Turn
What do you do when “fires” are happening at work?
Could this approach work the next time you are “running around with hair on fire”?
Are there other alternatives we could consider?